Duquesne vs. BYU March Madness Preview and Prediction

In the No. 11 vs. No. 6 matchup in the NCAA Tournament East Region, the Duquesne Dukes face the BYU Cougars in first-round action.

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How to Watch Duquesne vs. BYU

When: 12:40 pm ET on Thursday, March 21st

Where: CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska

Watch: TruTV

Odds for Duquesne vs. BYU

(odds current at time of publish)

Spread: BYU -7.5

Total: 140.5

DraftKings Betting Splits | Live College Basketball Odds | Duquesne vs. BYU Matchup

East Region No. 11 Duquesne Dukes

Duquesne wasn’t supposed to win the Atlantic 10 tournament, but it isn’t that surprising that the Dukes pulled through. This is a team that is top 30 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, and Duquesne is also capable of forcing a lot of turnovers on that end of the floor. The Dukes also have a dynamic backcourt in Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark III. The only thing this team is really missing is consistent 3-point shooting. But Duquesne got hot when it mattered most, with the team having some big shooting performances in the conference tournament. Maybe that will carry over to the dance.

East Region No. 6 BYU Cougars

BYU is going to be a fun team to watch in the tournament, even if the team goes down in flames. The Cougars get up and down the floor and jack up 3s, and they shoot them at a decent clip. They’re also a top-10 team in the nation when it comes to 2P%. Offensively, BYU is just very difficult to stop, and the Cougars have a bunch of guys that can score. BYU is just going to need to find a way to dig in and get stops late in games. The defense really let the Cougars down in their losses this year. Also, BYU can be a little too reliant on jumpers. The Cougars rarely get to the free throw line.

Duquesne vs. BYU Preview & Prediction

Duquesne is an excellent story. Since starting 0-5 in conference play, including two games without star Dae Dae Grant, the Dukes have only lost three times. The unlikely winners of the A-10 Tournament are dancing for the first time since 1977. They earned it, winning four games in five days with some sharp 3-point shooting and excellent defense. 

My initial thought was that this run for the Dukes is reminiscent of what Richmond did two years ago when they won four games in four days and rode that right on into a win over Iowa in the 12/5 game when the Hawkeyes were a top-15 team per Bart Torvik.

The Dukes will get another team that was top-20 all season long in BYU. The Cougars wore down a bit throughout Big 12 play, as their first season in the conference led to a 10-8 record, but Duquesne doesn’t have the size, shooting prowess, or depth of the teams that BYU has been facing for the last three months.

While I have been skeptical of Mark Pope’s team because they statistically dominated a very weak non-conference slate, they more than held their own offensively as the third-best team in adjusted defensive efficiency in the conference. That’s a tall task for Keith Dambrot’s squad, as they played well defensively throughout the season, but BYU has shooters all over the floor.

Generally speaking, teams like BYU are a little scary when we get to these neutral-site, unfamiliar venues. The Cougars took a 3 for over 51% of their shots this season, so one bad shooting performance could be the kiss of death. That makes them a little bit of a scary pick to advance, let alone cover, even though they are obviously the better team.

Estimated Score: BYU 76, Duquesne 68

For expert predictions, go to our college basketball best bets page.

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